1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention are generally related to tracking the snow depth on surface streets. And more specifically, embodiments are related to techniques for updating a cost for traveling on a road and the snow depth based on the location of a snowplow.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current technologies permit a user to plan a route between two geographic locations based on certain factors such as distance, shortest travel time, type of preferred roadways, and the like. Route planning systems use an algorithm that balances one or more of these factors to produce a score (or a traveling cost) for each street. The street or streets with the most favorable score are the ones displayed to the user as the suggested route. A navigational system may then use global positioning system (GPS) satellites to guide the user through the route.
Many of these algorithms, however, do not consider real-time information when planning a route. This limitation ignores the dynamic nature of road conditions. For example, a route planning system may assign the same score to a segment of a road even if that section of the road is currently experiencing inclement weather. The accumulation of snow on a road surface, for example, may drastically change the road's navigability.